Gau for Joe Biden and his climate policy: Supreme Court disempowers US environmental agency Epa

Created: 07/01/2022, 12:28 p.m

By: Momir Takac

The Supreme Court has put a damper on US President Joe Biden and his climate policy.

© IMAGO/Beata Zawrzel

With another controversial judgment, the Supreme Court has disempowered the US environmental agency EPA and slowed down Joe Biden and his climate policy.

Washington – The US Supreme Court is currently not on good terms with the Democrats.

First the US Supreme Court overturned a gun law restriction, then it overturned the nationwide right to abortion, and now it has dealt President Joe Biden's ambitious climate policy a severe blow.

US climate policy: Biden calls Supreme Court decision 'devastating'

The court, which has a majority of conservative judges, ruled in Washington on Thursday that the US Environmental Protection Agency has exceeded its powers in setting rules to limit greenhouse gas emissions.

This means that achieving the climate targets for the USA is a long way off.

The coal lobby complained.

Joe Biden expressed disappointment in a statement.

"The Supreme Court ruling in the West Virginia vs. EPA case is another devastating decision designed to roll back our country," the President wrote.

The "devastating" decision on climate policy will set the country back.

The United Nations made a similar statement, describing the verdict as a "setback in our fight against climate change".

Supreme Court limits powers of US Environmental Protection Agency EPA

The case that has now been decided began as a dispute over the US Environmental Protection Agency's authority to force power plants to reduce their pollution.

In the meantime, however, it is more a matter of how much power federal agencies should and should have, which, like the EPA, are subordinate to the government.

Because the US Congress has so far hardly dealt with climate policy, powers have been transferred to authorities with specialist knowledge.

This is now made more difficult.

In response to the ruling, Biden announced his Democratic Party would be working with states and cities "to pass and comply with laws that protect their citizens." "We can and will address the public health and existential threat posed by the climate crisis." represents, do not ignore,” the President continued in his statement.

“Our fight against climate change must continue, and it will.”